February 2017: Tenth Month
So, God was merciful to us and we were able to move into a larger suite in the hotel. We now have a stove and two separate rooms and a huge bathroom. Our cat Kiki is so happy because we now face south so she has the sun shining in, and so she lays in the sunshine all day long. No more cabin fever for her, now she has two windows to look out! Everyone is happy, except we are on the third floor and I do not do elevators. It’s time for those cardiac exercises! Here in this room, there is room for our printer and we have been busy with our new brochures on Paul. By the time you read this, our new brochures will be on our website. Check them out! I think you will have new insight into Paul. Having our printer, which we carried with us throughout our journey last year, comes in handy for keeping our ministry well-stocked with things like the sandiegrams and other printed materials and any letters we need to send out. We had several mass mailings last year to help keep pastors and those interested in the Jewish roots informed of all of our new brochures and information. If you’re interested, check out all of our resources!
On Sunday, we had a nice day celebrating my birthday and, of course, watching the Super Bowl. Being that our home team is in the NFC we were rooting for the Falcons. That put the end of a nice day into a downer.
The next day we were all startled by the fire alarm. We grabbed the cat and ran down three flights of stairs and exited the building. The fire department came, only to find out it was a false alarm. We went up to our room and about a half hour later it rang again, so we grabbed the cat and ran down three flights of stairs, not knowing if maybe they had missed what might have been a slow burn. The fire department came and again they said it was a false alarm, but this time the alarm would not shut off, and so we waited outside because of how loud it was. The man at the desk could not exit the building and even though the alarm was ringing, people were still checking in with all that loud blaring noise. Finally, the man from the alarm system came and fixed the problem.
The week went by so fast that it was hard to believe that it was once again the weekend. The Sabbath, which is always a delight, is beginning later and later, and it is so nice to see the daylight go on longer these days. Spring is coming, and the question is, are we going out again after Passover? That is yet to be seen, but for today the Sabbath was a nice day beginning with our service and a surprise visit from family, and we ended the day with prayer.
Sunday, it was off to church to reach others with the message of our Jewish roots and to minister to those who need prayer. We have found throughout our travels that every church is different. Every church has its own personality, and we must say that the personality of this church has been very cold. So many churches today have their conect groups and people get to know each other there, but how about every Sunday? There are no family get togethers and no interaction. If you are a newcomer, forget it! It could take months or years before you may get to know your church family. Years ago churches had potlucks and got together monthly. They were warm and friendly and people took you around to meet other people, but I haven’t seen this in years.
If your church is friendly and warm let me know, I’m interested. And tell me your denomination also.
Everyone is drive-thru living, and the same is true for churches. Everyone is on their phones before and during and after the service. Why do they even come to church if they cannot put down their phones long enough to praise the Lord? If your church is like this, stand up and cry out, “Enough is enough!” We are the body of Messiah, and if so, then we need to start acting like a body. I can not leave my arm at home or ignore the pain in my chest, we must have love and compassion for everyone who walks through the door, and we need to act as if they were our long lost cousin. The arm needs to know the leg and the knee needs to know the elbow and certainly the head needs to know everyone! Remember, they will know we are Christians by our love…
We began the week with some friends dropping by to see us, and when they left, my sister and brother-in-law stopped by. It was nice to leave the work for a while and visit. The days just fly by, and we find ourselves once again at the end of the week. The weather is remarkable with highs in the 60s, and as we celebrate the Sabbath we find ourselves having to minister to the manager of the hotel. Her cousin was murdered by an unknown assailant, and on top of that her nephew was in trouble with the police. How quickly our lives can change, but nothing takes God off guard, for He knows all things and He is there to walk through all things with us. We can be sure that whatever happens, God is able to take us through and He is in control and He whispers words of peace if we open our hearts to receive that peace. Later that night there was a couple stranded in the parking lot of the hotel with a flat tire in which we were able to help, because his jack broke and so he needed someone to loan their jack so he could fix his tire, and God had us there just when the jack broke. God is so good. He helps us before we need the help.
Our new brochures came today, and we quickly sent them out to twenty pastors and a few friends that we met over this past summer who we knew held Bible studies in their homes. We are hoping that we will get some feedback from these Pastors so we can pass it along to you. February is quickly coming to an end, and soon Spring will be here and the winter will be gone, and the question is, what does God have planned for us now that we have wintered here in Milwaukee? We will see as our March story continues.
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